Measurement of photoexcitation cross-sections of uranium by saturation method

We report the measurement of photoexcitation cross-sections of three first-step uranium transitions (0 → 16900.38 cm ⁻¹, 0 → 17361.89 cm ⁻¹ and 620 → 17361.89 cm ⁻¹) using saturation method. These measurements were performed on a resonance ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS) set-up consisting of Nd:YAG-pumped dye lasers, a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer and high-temperature atomic vapour source. The uranium vapours were excited and photoionized by two-colour, three-photon photoionization scheme using Nd:YAG-pumped dye laser system. The resultant photoion signal was monitored as a function of dye laser fluence used for first step excitation to measure the excitation cross-section values. A new approach was adopted to overcome the large uncertainties associated with such measurements. With this approach the cross-section of transitions whose value is already reported in the literature was measured as a bench mark. By normalizing the measured value to the reported value, a scaling factor was derived. This scaling factor was used to scale up the cross-section values of other transitions measured by this method.     

A model of hopping and band DC photoconduction in doped crystals

Expressions for the screening length and the ambipolar diffusion length are derived, for the first time, for the case where hopping conduction and band conduction coexist in semiconductors with hydrogen-like impurities. A method is proposed for calculating the diffusion coefficient of electrons (holes) hopping between impurity atoms from data on the Hall effect, in the case where the hopping and band conductivities are equal. An interpretation is given of available experimental data on hopping photoconduction between acceptors (Ga) and donors (As) in p-Ge at T=4.2 K doped by a transmutation method. It is shown that the relative magnitude of the mobilities of electrons hopping between donors and holes hopping between acceptors can be found from the hopping photoconductivity measured as a function of the intensity of band-to-band optical carrier excitation.     

Universal magnetoluminescence kinetics in magnetically frozen 2D electron systems

The kinetics of recombination of electrons and acceptor-bound holes in AlGaAs-GaAs heterostructure obey a single-exponential decay in the liquid phase of 2D electrons, whereas localization gives rise to a broad spectrum of recombination rates, especially in the magnetic freeze-out regime. This results in a power-law dependence I(t)∝(τ/t)^α in the tail of the recombination kinetics, with the universal exponent α=(1−ν)⁻¹ at ν<1 for all the samples examined experimentally in this work. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 2, 118–122 (25 January 1996) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

Collisions of fast electrons with positronium atoms

Summary Elastic and inelastic collisions of fast non-relativistic electrons with positronium atoms have been studies in the Born-Ochkur approximation. It has been shown that exchange plays an important role for transitions between states with the same parity as in this case the direct scattering amplitude vanishes. Numerical results for the total and ortho-para conversion cross-sections for the 1s→1s, 1s→2s and 1s→2p transitions have been presented for projectile energies varying from 0.1 to 10 keV. According to charge symmetry, presented results apply also to positron projectiles.     

Effect of electron bombardment on a phase-inhomogeneous nanoscopic structure and the fundamental absorption spectrum of single-crystal CuO

The optical absorption spectra of single-crystal CuO bombarded with 5-MeV electrons exhibit reduced absorption in the region of the fundamental absorption edge at 17 eV, which corresponds to the b _1g →e _u transition with charge transfer in CuO ₄ ⁶⁻ . A simultaneous increase in absorption is observed in the middle infrared and in the region of high energies centered on 2.9 eV. The experimental results obtained are interpreted in terms of ideas on the phase-inhomogeneous nano-agglomorated structure in copper oxides that occurs as a result of the nucleation of polar centers (CuO ₄ ⁵⁻ , CuO ₄ ⁷⁻ ) under electron bombardment. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 2141–2146 (December 1997)     

Effect of conduction electrons on the law of approach to saturation of a metallic ferromagnet with surface pinning of the magnetic moment

The effect of conduction electrons on the magnetization curve of a metallic ferromagnet with surface pinning of the magnetic moment is investigated theoretically. The electronic contribution is due to the rearrangement of the discrete spectrum of charge carriers trapped by the nonuniform magnetic induction of such a ferromagnet, and it is a kind of diamagnetic effect that appreciably decreases the volume-averaged magnetization of the ferromagnet. A powerlaw dependence H ^−3/4 on the external magnetic field H is obtained according to the law of magnetization approach to saturation. This dependence is due to the contribution of the conduction electrons. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 647–653 (April 1999)     

Magneto-Raman scattering inp-type indium antimonide

We report for the first time stimulated magneto-Raman scattering inp-type InSb. Two different Raman scattering processes were observed. The first one has a Raman shift of about 2cm⁻¹/kG and is observed at magnetic fields up to 30kG. The other one is observable only at high magnetic fields above 30kG and shows Raman shifts between 1.2cm⁻¹ and 3.0cm⁻¹ with a tuning rate of about 0.2cm⁻¹/kG. The first process can be interpreted either as spin-flip Raman scattering by photo-excited electrons in the conduction band or as Raman scattering by holes in the valence band involving transitions from heavy to light hole states. The other Raman shift observed seems to occur on account of transitions between the heavy hole ladders.     

Diffracted channeling radiation for axial electron channeling

It is shown that, in contrast to diffracted channeling radiation (DCR) in the case of planar channeling, transitions of type 2 → 1, 3 → 2, 4 → 3, and so on make the main contribution to DCR in the case of axial channeling along an isolated axis. The angular DCR distributions for channeling of electrons with the energy corresponding to the Lorentz factor γ = 100 are calculated for an isolated axis using the Coulomb-type potential.     

On electrostatic models of a metal-insulator phase transition in crystalline semiconductors with hydrogen-like impurities

Two well-known models for calculating the critical density N _C of a metal-insulator transition, as a function of the Bohr radius a _H of an isolated impurity as temperature T→0 K, are refined by making allowance for the screening of ions by electrons hopping along impurities. In one model, the transition at N _C1 is explained by the appearance of delocalized electrons as the impurity band is displaced into the allowed-energy band as a result of a decrease in the electron (hole) affinity of ionized impurities. In the other model the transition is explained by an unbounded increase in the static permittivity of the crystal as the density of impurity atoms increases to N _C2. The obtained approximations N _C1 ^1/3 a _H≈0.24 and N _C2 ^1/3 a _H≈0.20 for the degree of compensation K=0.01 describe existing experimental data for 1<a _H<10 nm. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 147–151 (January 1998)     

Polymorphism and Intramolecular Proton Transfer in Fluoroquinolone Compounds

Electronic absorption, luminescence, IR and Raman spectra of polymorphous forms of fluoroquinolones were investigated. Assignment of the band maxima due to π→π* and n→π* electronic transitions were done. The structural changes are responsible for the absorption band modifications. One-electron transitions in the long wavelength region, excitation wavelengths, oscillator strengths and involved molecular orbitals for the zwitter-ionic and cationic protonated forms for different fluoroquinolones were calculated with quantum-chemical and molecular dynamic methods. The electron density redistributions on the FQs separate fragments during the photoexcitation to the S₁*-state were carry out by Mulliken calculations. It was shown that the degree of neutral and zwitter-ion FQs penetration through the bacterium membrane is different.     

Terahertz emission from square wells in a longitudinal electric field

Terahertz emission accompanying heating of two-dimensional electrons by a strong electric field applied along size-quantized GaAs/AlGaAs layers is observed and investigated. The emission is due to indirect optical transitions of hot electrons in the bottom size-quantization band. The experimentally obtained emission spectra are compared with the spectra calculated taking into account scattering of electrons by optical phonons, impurities, and interfacial roughness and electron-electron scattering. Satisfactory agreement is obtained. The temperature of the hot electrons is determined from a comparison of the spectra. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 7, 507–511 (10 April 1998)     

Quantum tunneling of light particles in metals

The motion of a particle in a metallic crystal is studied for low temperatures where transitions between adjacent interstitial sites are caused by quantum tunneling. The influence of electrons and phonons on the hopping rate is taken into account by means of a functional integral method. The electronic influence may effectively be described by Ohmic damping which dominates the low temperature behavior of the defect motion. When subsequent tunneling transitions are statistically independent, the diffusion constant is found to obey a power law, D∼T^2K−1, where K depends on the defect-electron interaction. This power law is limited at low temperatures by the effects of phonon excitations. Near the transition between electron and phonon dominated behavior the diffusion constant has a minimum where the precise temperature dependence of the rate depends not only on phonon spectra but also on the processes limiting phonon lifetimes.     

Long-lived excited impurity states in diamond-like semiconductors

The lifetime of charge carriers in the lowest excited states of some impurities of groups III and V in diamond, silicon, and germanium can be several (four to six) orders of magnitude longer that the lifetime of free carriers. Accumulation of carriers in these long-lived states may give rise to several new effects, such as hopping photoconductivity via long-lived excited states of impurities in dc and microwave electric fields, slow relaxation of induced absorption, and infrared absorption at energies lower than the impurity ionization energy. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 221–236 (July 1997)     

Low-temperature investigation of electronic excitations in wide-gap materials doped with RE3+ or Cr3+ ions

The processes of photon multiplication in insulators have been considered. The luminescence of Tb³⁺ ions (⁵ D ₃ → ⁷ F _J , ⁵ D ₄ → ⁷ F _J transitions) upon intracenter excitation, the optical excitation of oxyanions, or the formation of separated electrons and holes has been studied for CaSO₄ doped with Tb³⁺ and Na⁺ ions at 6–9 K. An increase in Tb³⁺ concentration from 0.2 to 4 at % and transition from single Tb³⁺-Na⁺ states to centers that contain two or three terbium ions leads to the redistribution of the luminescence intensities in favor of the ⁵ D ₄ → ⁷ F _J transitions and increase in their efficiency due to the possibility of the cooperative ⁵ D ₃ → ⁵ D ₄ and ⁷ F ₆ → ⁷ F _J transitions and the 4f ⁷5d ¹ → ⁵ D ₃ and ⁷ F ₆ → ⁵ D ₄ transitions in the two- and three-terbium centers. Based on the example of MgO single crystals with highly mobile excitons, holes, and electrons, the migration of free excitons and holes toward Cr³⁺ ions in the crystal bulk and their exit from the bulk to the surface have been revealed at 9 K. Surface losses limit the luminescence quantum yield of MgO:Cr³⁺, CaSO₄:Tb³⁺, and many other materials.     

Two-Dimensional <Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis><Superscript>−</Superscript>-States in a Longitudinal Magnetic Field

The quantum-well D(−)-states in the presence of magnetic field longitudinal with respect to the growth axis are considered. Within a model of zero-radius potential, an equation is derived that determines the dependence of the D(−)-state binding energy on the parameters of the potential of the structure, coordinates of the D(−) center, and the magnetic field. The results are compared with the experimental dependence of the D(−)-state binding energy on the magnetic field and the data are shown to be in good agreement with calculations for magnetic fields B < 10 T. A dimension factor is defined in the dependence of the binding energy on coordinates for the 2D → 1D → 0D transition. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 25–29.     

T-violation and neutron optics experiments

It is shown that a two-step model of the reaction pd→³HeX (X=η, η′ eω, φ), involving the subprocesses pp) →dπ⁺ and π⁺ n→Xp, can account for the form of the energy dependence of experimental cross sections above the thresholds under the assumption that the singlet part of the pp→dπ⁺ amplitude dominates. The spin-spin asymmetry for the reaction dp→³HeX has been found to be ∼;−1 in the forward-backward approximation. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 1, 3–7 (10 January 1996) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

Galvanomagnetic properties of Hg1−x MnxTe1−y Sey semimagnetic semiconductors

The galvanomagnetic properties of single crystals of the semimagnetic semiconductors Hg_1−x Mn_xTe_1−y Se_y with 0.01<y<0.1 and x=0.05 and 0.14 in the temperature range 4.2–300 K are investigated. The features of the temperature dependence of the Hall coefficient R _H and the complicated behavior of R _H in a magnetic field are attributed quantitatively to the existence of three groups of current carriers, viz., electrons and two types of holes, for which the temperature dependences of the densities and mobilities are obtained. A transition from p-type to n-type conductivity is observed as the Se content is increased, and the negative magnetoresistance simultaneously gives way to positive magnetoresistance. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 1809–1815 (November 1997)     

EPR study of exchange interactions in the nonmagnetic Kondo system La1−x CexCu6

The EPR of paramagnetic impurities Gd³⁺ and Mn²⁺ was studied in nonmagnetic Kondo system La_1−x Ce_xCu₆ containing in the 1.6–200 K range. The exchange interaction parameters of gadolinium and manganese ions with conduction electrons, of cerium ions with conduction electrons and with one another, the Kondo temperature of cerium ions, and the temperature behavior of cerium-ion spin-fluctuation rate have been determined. A pseudogap in the density of states at the Fermi level has been detected in the CeCu₆ regular system, which is apparently due to s-f hybridization. This pseudogap can be destroyed by introducing an aluminum impurity, which induces strong conduction-electron scattering. It was also found that RKKY interaction among manganese ions in CeCu_6−y Mn_y is considerably stronger than it is in LaCu_6−y Mn_y, which implies enhancement of nonlocal spin susceptibility due to an f band contribution to conduction-electron states. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 593–599 (April 1998)     

Quantum cyclotron resonance of two-dimensional holes in the Ge layers of Ge-Ge1−x Six heterostructures

Quantum cyclotron resonance of two-dimensional holes in strained germanium layers of the periodic heterostructure Ge-Ge_1−x Si_x has been observed and investigated for the first time. The results are compared with the data of electrophysical measurements in strong magnetic fields. A clear dependence of the magnitude of the longitudinal effective mass of the holes on the absolute magnitude of the elastic deformation of the germanium layers (splitting energy of the hole subbands) is observed. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 2096–2100 (November 1997)